Taking the Initiative
by Sailor Grape
Summary: New Year's one-shot:: With ten minutes left until midnight, Usagi is in search of Hiiro. She tries to get him to admit his feelings for her so that they can be midnight kissing buddies when the new year approaches.


Title: Taking the Initiative  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: PG  
  
Disclaimer: I'm not even gonna bother...  
  
A/N: I'm finishing up this round of holidays with another fic. I just *had* to get another in before the year was up. Go me! I don't want to write a long A/N because I just rewrote a good portion of the ending of this when I was typing it up. So, read on and enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Wufei was drunk, and not socially so. Most people who were intoxicated liked to chat, as their inhibitions disappeared. That was why social drinking was so popular.  
  
But not to Wufei. He rarely drank. Even now, it just made him more sullen than normal. It may have been something to do with the current pounding in his head that swelled to jackhammering proportions when any of the party's drunken idiots felt the need to scream instead of using normal conversational tones. Or, perhaps it was the sloshing of the alcohol in his stomach that he swore was slowly eating away at his flesh from the inside out. Either way, he had no desire to trade drunken slurs with anyone.  
  
Which was why he was just a bit irritated when Usagi sat down at the table next to him. He was about to berate her for interrupting his brooding but was silenced when she set down a rather large mug of coffee in front of him. He accepted the drink gratefully, clenching his eyes shut as the scalding liquid slid down his throat.  
  
"It won't help get rid of your headache or nausea, but it should at least keep you awake until midnight," she told him, a mild tone of amusement inflected in her voice. She had only seen Wufei drunk once before, and that was when Duo had, unbeknownst to everyone else, spiked the punch at his Halloween party. Poor Wufei ended up passing out on the dance floor and would have gotten trampled had Trowa not seen and saved him. It was no wonder Wufei was in the kitchen now, avoiding everyone. He probably didn't want to risk being trampled again.  
  
"It's almost midnight, you know," she continued. "Ten minutes to go."  
  
He snorted, the mug in his hand shaking precariously as he almost spilled the hot liquid into his lap. "I don't care. It's just another year, nothing to be excited over."  
  
"No one to kiss during the fireworks, huh?" she teased.  
  
"No." Then his eyes widened slightly at the unconscious outburst. "I meant, I don't care." But his convictions were somewhat lacking, partially due to the fact that the majority of that last statement came out as a jumbled slur.  
  
Trying hard to suppress a smile, Usagi said, "Well, I'm free at midnight."  
  
Even in his drunken state, Wufei was very astute. He'd never admit this to anyone, but he and Usagi were closer friends than most realized. After knowing her for the past couple of years, he could read her rather well. And even though she never told him, he knew what she was thinking at the moment. "You know," he stated casually, "Hiiro doesn't have anyone to kiss at midnight, either." When Usagi only looked at him in disbelief, he added, "It may be more entertaining to kiss someone who is not in a drunken haze."  
  
Rising from her seat, Usagi leaned over and kissed his cheek tenderly. "I don't think you're drunk at all, Wufei."  
  
As she turned to leave, he grabbed her hand. "He would kill me if he knew I were saying this, but he likes you, you know."  
  
She gave him a smile before leaving to go back to the party.  
  
The break had been much needed. While she enjoyed parties as much as the next person, probably even more so, she just needed to get away from the pulse-pounding music and hoards of people, just for a moment. Her break had been short, but at least she came back to the party with a purpose.  
  
Eyes scanning over the crowd, Usagi spotted Trowa and Quatre as a table in the corner, talking. That wasn't surprising. Trowa wasn't one for large crowds, and Quatre was unimpressed with parties, seeing as he had to attend formal galas constantly as a representative of Winner Corp.  
  
Turning in the other direction, her gaze flitted over the crowd as she searched for a specific person. She finally spotted him standing against the far wall, watching the other people with disinterest. Usagi began to make her way across the room toward him.  
  
"Are you having a good time?" Duo asked as he twirled his way from the dance floor to stop in front of her. He held a drink in one hand and casually threw his free arm around Usagi's shoulders.  
  
She had to give him due credit. He was completely sloshed, more drunk than probably anyone, but it didn't show at all. The only reason she knew he was drunk at all was because she knew him so well. "I'm having a great time, Duo," she assured him, earning herself an even larger grin from the already grinning man.  
  
"Midnight is fast approaching, babe. Five minutes. Who, my dear, will you be kissing?" He raised an eyebrow suggestively, squeezing her shoulder.  
  
"No one at this moment, but I'm working on it." She allowed her eyes to move across the room once again.  
  
Following her gaze, Duo had to smirk. He silently wished his friend good luck in his pathetic attempts to stave off the beautiful Usagi. Turning back to the blonde, he said, "Well, if you need a midnight kissing buddy, come and find me. I'll be more than happy to give you a kiss and anything else you'd like."  
  
She had to laugh as he bounced away and back into the crowd. It was an interesting offer, but she'd much prefer it from a certain someone else. That in mind, she began to make her way through the crowd.  
  
With all of the people, he never noticed her approach, didn't see her until she was directly in front of him. For whatever reason, she was the only person who could ever catch him off guard.  
  
As they made eye contact, she smiled. "Enjoying the party?"  
  
Had it been any other person that asked, he would have scowled heavily. But for her, he only frowned and answered, "What do *you* think?" He crossed his arms over his chest as she took a step forward, almost as if he was trying to put a barrier between them, keep her at a safe distance.  
  
"You're missing all of the fun by being in the corner like this. Midnight is in approximately"--she consulted her watch--"three minutes. Don't you want to start the new year with a bang?"  
  
"If the bang originates from my pistol aimed in Duo's direction, preferably at his heart, then yes. Otherwise, I'll stick to my own company."  
  
"Oh, so I'm interrupting your 'me time'?" she teased, hands on her hips in mock irritation. "Maybe I should leave you be, then."  
  
As she said those words, Hiiro gave the slightest start, but he made no attempt to stop her. That slight pause was all she needed, though.  
  
Sighing, Usagi leaned against the wall next to him. They weren't touching, but she could feel the heat radiating from his body, almost drowning her in that white-hot feeling that emanated from her stomach and spread throughout the rest of her body. It was quite an intoxicating feeling, and she had this sudden urge to grab him and bury her face in his neck so that she could feel that heat, skin against skin, his and her flesh...  
  
At the thought, she almost blushed. Regaining her composure, she leaned in a bit closer so he could heard her over the steadily increasing noise of the crowd. "Do you want to dance?"  
  
He gave her a look of disbelief before shaking his head once in a panicked sort of way. Dancing was definitely not his forte, even if it was with Usagi. He could only imagine making a huge idiot of himself. Then he'd look like Duo.  
  
Sighing yet again, Usagi watched as a digital clock on the wall began a countdown of two minutes. The crowd began cheering over the loud music, and drinks were being passed around.  
  
After another thirty seconds of no conversation passed, Usagi tried again. "Are you sure you don't want to dance?" Hell, she didn't really want to dance, but getting any reaction out of him would be great at this point.  
  
"I don't dance."  
  
"Afraid?" She knew she struck a chord when his left eye visibly twitched. If it was one thing Hiiro hated, it was being called a coward, especially over something as trivial as this. That was how she knew she had won.  
  
As the final minute approached, Usagi pushed herself away from the wall and stood directly in front of him. "Do you know what your problem is?" she asked, voice slightly mocking. "You don't do anything for you. The entire world just passes you by because you have better things to do than take the initiative."  
  
Thirty seconds came and went, and they were staring each other down, neither blinking or moving.  
  
Hiiro contemplated her words. She was right, of course. He *didn't* do anything for himself. No wonder he was so irritable all the time! Well, that was all going to be remedied, starting right now.  
  
With ten seconds left, he reached forward and pulled her tiny frame against his, arms locking around her waist. He seemed to lean forward in slow motion, but his lips crushed against hers with passionate ferocity as they met on the last second before the new year.   
  
Ignoring the shouts and laughing around them, the two were engulfed in the frenzied meeting and parting of lips, of hands frantically clutching any skin that would keep their bodies tightly pressed together. Never had either had such a wonderful, erotic, romantic, passionate moment.  
  
After practically suffocating himself in her kisses, Hiiro finally pulled back, regarding her dazed expression with obvious amusement and adoration. "I only have one regret about this past year."  
  
She raised an eyebrow curiously. "And what's that?"  
  
"That I didn't do this a lot sooner," he murmured, leaning in for another kiss, which she gave him willingly.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Have you ever noticed how many fics end with a kiss? I'll be the first to admit that I'm notorious for ending practically every single one of mine like that... But what can you do? Sometimes the creativity just sputters and gives. Besides, who's going to complain about some more fluffy goodness, right? I know I'm not! Please review! Tell me what you think. I thrive on your thoughts! Honestly!  
  
Anyway, I want to thank everyone for reading this. For those of you who have read my other fics, thank you for your support and sticking by me through my horrible writer's block. This next year is going to hold great things (hopefully it'll see the finishing of MSWG), and I'm so excited! So have a Happy New Year, everyone, and I'll talk to you all in 2004! 


End file.
